Virginia SOL 12.C.1.A.i

ELA12th GradeCommunication and Multimodal Literacies

The Standard

Applying a variety of strategies to listen actively and speak purposefully and respectfully.

Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Communication, Listening, and Collaboration

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students prepare for and take part in extended discussions about complex texts and issues. They listen for meaning, build on ideas, ask focused questions, and speak with clear purpose and respect.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students keep a discussion focused, invite quieter voices, and respond directly to others. They paraphrase accurately, ask useful questions, cite evidence, and disagree without attacking the speaker.
Common Misconceptions: Students may treat active listening as waiting silently for their turn. They may interrupt, repeat earlier points, ignore evidence, or mistake disagreement for disrespect.
How to Assess It: Give groups six minutes to discuss a short editorial. Use a checklist to record whether each student paraphrases a peer, asks a relevant question, and supports one point.

Lesson moves

Give groups facilitator, clarifier, evidence tracker, and summarizer cards, then rotate roles during a ten-minute discussion of a short editorial.
Ask students to write: Which comment moved the discussion forward, and what listening or speaking choice made it effective?
Play listening relay: students must paraphrase the previous speaker accurately before adding a new evidence-based point.
Stage a workplace meeting where teams recommend a policy change, answer objections, and reach a decision everyone can explain.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 12.C.1.A.i, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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